First American woman in space - Jun 18, 1983 - HISTORY.com First American woman in space Share this: First American woman in space Author First American woman in space URL Publisher A+E Networks From Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space shuttle Challenger is launched into space on its second mission. Aboard the shuttle was Dr. Sally Ride, who as a mission specialist became the first American woman to travel into space. During the six-day mission, Ride, an astrophysicist from Stanford University, operated the shuttle’s robot arm, which she had helped design. Her historic journey was preceded almost 20 years to the day by cosmonaut Valentina V. Tereshkova of the Soviet Union, who on June 16, 1963, became the first woman ever to travel into space. The United States had screened a group of female pilots in 1959 and 1960 for possible astronaut training but later decided to restrict astronaut qualification to men. In 1978, NASA changed its policy and announced that it had approved six women to become the first female astronauts in the U.S. space program.

The new astronauts were chosen out of some 3,000 original applicants. Among the six were Sally Ride and Shannon Lucid, who in 1996 set a new space endurance record for an American and a world endurance record for a woman during her 188-day sojourn on the Russian space station Mir. Related Videos Sally Ride Biography: First American Woman in Space July 25, 2012 02:59pm ET MORE Floating freely on the flight deck, Sally Ride communicates with ground controllers in Houston during her STS-7 mission in June 1983. Credit: NASA Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. She made two shuttle flights, and later became a champion for science education and a role model for generations. Tennis and physics Born in Encino, Calif., on May 26, 1951, Sally Kristen Ride was the older of two daughters of Dale B. Ride and Carol Joyce (Anderson) Ride. Her father was a professor of political science and her mother was a counselor.

While neither had a background in the physical sciences, she credited them with fostering her deep interest in science by encouraging her to explore. An athletic youngster, Ride attended Westlake High School for Girls, a prep school in Los Angeles, on a partial tennis scholarship. She graduated in 1968. After a brief foray into professional tennis, she returned to California to attend Stanford University. There she received a bachelor of science degree in physics and a bachelor of arts degree in English in 1973. Furthering her studies at Stanford, she obtained a master of science degree in 1975 and a doctorate in physics in 1978. After completing her studies at Stanford, Ride applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Besting thousands of applicants, Ride was selected as one of NASA's first six female astronauts and began spaceflight training in 1978. Ride started her aeronautics career on the ground, serving as a capsule communicator as part of the ground-support crew for the second (November 1981) and third (March 1982) shuttle flights.

At 32, Ride experienced her first spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS-7, NASA's seventh shuttle mission, aboard the space shuttle Challenger. The mission launched on June 18, 1983 and returned to Earth on June 24. Tasks on the mission included launching communications satellites for Canada and Indonesia. The astronauts also conducted the first successful satellite deployment and retrieval in space using the shuttle's robotic arm. During the flight, Ride became the first woman to operate the shuttle's robotic arm. Ride's history-making Challenger mission was not her only spaceflight. She also became the first American woman to travel to space a second time when she launched on another Challenger mission, STS-41-G, on Oct. 5, 1984. That mission lasted nine days. On that flight, she used the shuttle’s robotic arm to remove ice from the shuttle's exterior and to readjust a radar antenna. Ride was assigned to a third shuttle mission, but her crew's training was cut short by the Challenger disaster in January 1986.

[Images: Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space ] Space shuttle investigations While Ride shaped the future of space aeronautics on her first historic Challenger flight, she continued to influence the space program after her days of space travel were over. Ride served on the accident investigation boards set up in response to the two space shuttle tragedies — Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. In 2009, she participated in the Augustine committee that helped define NASA's spaceflight goals. From 1982 to 1987, Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steven Hawley. They had no children. Former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women at the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., in 2003. Credit: NASA Post-NASA work While she left NASA in 1987, her passion for space and science never waned. Ride joined Stanford University Center for International Security and Arms Control after leaving NASA. She later became a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. She served as president of SPACE.com from 1999 to 2000.

Believing that it was important encourage students — especially girls — to embrace the study of science, she founded Sally Ride Science, a science outreach company, in 2001. One of the company's efforts included adding the MoonKam experiment onto unmanned NASA's Grail moon gravity probes, which allowed students to choose and take their own photos of the moon from lunar orbit. Ride also wrote five science-related children’s books: To Space and Back; Voyager; The Third Planet; The Mystery of Mars; and Exploring Our Solar System. Ride died on July 23, 2012 , at the age of 61 following a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Ride is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, and also chief operating officer and executive vice president of Sally Ride Science, as well as her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and her nephew, Whitney.

— Kim Ann Zimmermann June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space | WIRED June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space subscribe 6 months for $5 - plus a FREE Portable Phone Charger. Author: Tony Long. Tony Long Science Date of Publication: 06.18.07. Time of Publication: 12:00 pm. 12:00 pm June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space 1983: Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Contact wiredlabs@wired.com to report an issue. Ride, who hoped to become a professional tennis player before deciding she wasn't good enough, became a physicist instead and joined NASA in 1978 as part of the first astronaut class to accept women. After the usual training, Ride joined ground control for the second and third space shuttle missions, serving as communications liaison between the shuttle crews and mission control.

She was also involved in developing the robot arm used aboard the shuttle craft to deploy and retrieve satellites. Ride's turn to go into space came at the shuttle program's seventh mission, as a crew member aboard Challenger. She was aboard Challenger for her second flight as well, an eight-day mission in 1984. In all, Ride logged around 345 hours in space. While it was a milestone for the U.S. space program, the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova preceded Ride into space by almost exactly 20 years. On June 16, 1963, the former textile worker went aloft aboard Vostok VI. Ride was training for her third mission when Challenger blew up in January 1986, killing everyone on board. With all training suspended in the wake of the accident, Ride was appointed to the presidential commission charged with investigating the causes of Challenger's demise. She retired from NASA in 1987 to return to Stanford University, her alma mater. She later joined the faculty at UC San Diego as a physics professor.

Since leaving NASA, Ride has remained active in the academic side of space exploration, taking a special interest in attracting more women to the sciences in general, and the space program in particular. (Sources: NASA, Lucidcafe.com) On This Day in History - June 18th - Almanac - UPI.com | License Photo Today is Saturday, June 18, the 170th day of 2016 with 196 to follow. The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mercury, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars and Saturn. Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Cyrus Curtis, founder/publisher of the Ladies' Home Journal, in 1850; journalist/publisher Edward W.

Scripps in 1854; British mountain climber George Mallory in 1886; singer/actor Jeanette MacDonald in 1903; actor Keye Luke in 1904; Tin Pan Alley composer Sammy Cahn in 1913; vintner Robert Mondavi in 1913; financial journalist Sylvia Porter in 1913; actor E.G. Marshall in 1914; actor Richard Boone in 1917; oil well firefighter Red Adair in 1915; baseball Hall of Fame member Lou Brock in 1939 (age 77); film critic Roger Ebert in 1942; former South African President Thabo Mbeki in 1942 (age 74); singer/composer Paul McCartney in 1942 (age 74); actor Carol Kane in 1952 (age 64); actor Isabella Rossellini in 1952 (age 64); singer Jemma Griffiths, known by stage name Jem, in 1975 (age 41).

On this date in history: In 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. In 1815, England's Duke of Wellington and Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in Belgium. In 1975, Saudi Arabian Prince Museid was publicly beheaded in Riyadh for the assassination of King Faisal. In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed a strategic arms control treaty (SALT II) in Vienna. In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space after the shuttle Challenger was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. In 1990, gunman James Edward Pough, 42, whose car had been repossessed, killed nine people and wounded four before committing suicide at a General Motors Acceptance Corp. loan office in Jacksonville, Fla. Investigators said he had killed two people and wounded two others a day earlier. In 1997, Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan resigned under pressure after his governing coalition lost its majority in Parliament. In 2004, U.S.

hostage Paul Johnson Jr., 49, was killed by his Saudi captors despite pleas from senior Muslim clerics. In 2007, United States and European Union officials announced they would resume aid to Palestinians . In 2012, Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia issued a joint statement on the conflict in Syria. It said, "We are united in the belief that the Syrian people should have the opportunity to independently and democratically choose their own future." In 2013, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a funeral in Mardan, Pakistan. At least 34 people died and dozens of others were injured. In 2014, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw pitched the team's second no-hitter in less than a month, striking out 15 batters in an 8-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

LA's Josh Beckett held Philadelphia hitless May 25 A thought for the day: "The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel." -- John Glenn What Happened on June 18th This Day in History 1923 , 1928 , 1941 , 1948 , 1952 , 1964 , 1965 , 1972 , 1976 , 1979 , 1983 , 1998 , 1999 , 2000 , 2007 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2012 , 2013 , Born This Day , 1923 U.S.A. First Checker Cab 18th June 1923 : The First Checker Cab is produced by the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

By 1925 the Checker Cab Company is the largest manufacturer of Cabs in the country . In 1956 Checker made a passenger vehicle for the first time the Chequer Marathon but never really took off. 1928 U.S.A. Amelia Earhart Jun. 18th 1928 : Amelia Earhart completes the flight from Newfoundland to Wales , becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger 1941 France World War II Jun. 18th 1941 : British troops bombard the German-occupied French coast with explosives during the night before and early into the morning. Other British troops also bombarded parts of western Germany, including Dusseldorf and Cologne. It was rumored that Britain's heavy attack on the industrial cities in Germany was to put a damper on preparations for a German invasion of Britain. 1948 U.S.A. Long Playing Phonograph Record / LP Jun. 18th 1948 : Columbia Records publicly unveiled its new long-playing phonograph record, the 33 1/3, in New York City.

Today, Columbia Records is the oldest record brand in the industry, dating back to 1888 when sound was recorded on black cylinders rather than albums, and begin mass production. 1948 World United Nations Commission on Human Rights Jun. 18th 1948 : The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted an International Declaration of Human Rights and a "Draft Declaration of Human Rights" . 1952 Japan China 18th June 1952 : Japan announced that they recognized the Chinese Nationalist government as opposed to the Communist Peiping regime. A treaty that was signed between the two nations stated that there was no more state of war between the nations. 1964 Soviet Union Agriculture Jun. 18th 1964 : Soviet leader Khrushchev toured Denmark's agricultural sites but concluded that the Soviet Union cannot learn much from the country. He also vowed that the Soviet Union's agricultural problems would be solved within seven to eight years, and if they weren't he would leave the communist party. 1965 Vietnam B52 Bombers Bombing Jun.

18th 1965 : B52 Bombers are used to fly-bomb a Viet Cong concentration in a heavily forested area of Binh Duong Province northwest of Saigon. Releasing bombs from 30,000 feet, the B-52s could neither be seen nor heard from the ground as they inflicted awesome damage . 1965 UK New Drink Driving Laws Jun. 18th 1965 : The British government following increasing numbers of accidents caused through drink driving announces it will introduce a blood alcohol limit for drivers. The new laws were implemented on January 1st the following year with 80mg of alcohol in 100cc of blood ( 0.08% ) becoming an offence to drive when over this limit. 1972 England Trident Crash 18th June 1972 : A Trident jetliner crashes after takeoff from Heathrow Airport in London, killing 118 people and the cause is never identified apart from indications the plane was to full of passengers and luggage. 1976 South Africa Rioting Jun. 18th 1976 : Rioting in South Africa spreads throughout the country.

At least 58 people were reported dead and 788 injured due to the spread of violence. The prime minister of the nation, John Vorster, recognized that the violence was an effort to cause panic and create a division within the black and white communities in the nation. Vorster also stated that law and order within the nation were important to maintain. 1979 Austria US - Soviet Salt II Jun. 18th 1979 : President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign the Salt-II agreement dealing with limitations and guidelines for nuclear weapons but due to the continuing Cold War never went into effect due to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1980 and President Carter withdrew the USA from the agreement . 1983 U.S.A. Space Shuttle Challenger Jun. 18th 1983 : The space shuttle Challenger is launched into space on its second mission. Aboard the shuttle was Dr. Sally Ride, who as a mission specialist became the first American woman to travel into space. 1998 U.S.A. Infoseek Jun.

18th 1998 : The late 1990s produced a phenomenon called the dot com boom and just one of those companies snapped up was Infoseek by the Disney Corporation who revamped the site and renamed it GO 1999 U.S.A. Gun Control 18th June 1999 : Following the recent increase of high school shootings including the Columbine High School in Colorado, A new gun control bill has been rejected by Congress, the bill was rejected by the Republican side who felt the new controls went too far and the Democrats, who felt the new controls did not go far enough. 2000 U.S.A. Tiger Woods Wins US Open Jun. 18th 2000 : Tiger Woods wins the 100th US Open at Pebble Beach, California winning by an unheard of 15 strokes ahead of his competion ending with a 12 under for the course. 2007 U.S.A. Flashover Fire Jun.

18th 2007 : A fire in a South Carolina Sofa Super store changed from an ordinary fire into a flashover causing the loss of life of fire fighters who were trying to save employees trapped in the store Ghana 2007 Ghana Oil Discovered in Ghana Jun. 18th, 2007 : The United Kingdom based company, Tullow, announced the discovery of a large amount of oil reserves off the shores of Ghana. The estimated 600 million barrels worth of oil was expected to be a great boost to the economy in Ghana, the country could wait up to seven years before the oil would start to flow. Italy 2008 Italy Florence to Revoke Dante's Exile 18th June, 2008 : The city council of Florence in Italy called for the poet Dante Alighieri to be readmitted into the city at a public ceremony after being exiled for over seven hundred years. The ceremony honoring his descendants would mark the formal revocation of the exile order made against Dante in 1302 for his differing political views. 2009 Space Mission To Find Water On The Moon Jun.

18th 2009 : NASA launches the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/LCROSS probes to the Moon, the primary mission is to search for water ice in the Cabeus crater near the Moon's south pole, this is the first American lunar mission since 1998 . United States 2010 United States Record Breaking Sailing Trip Jun. 18th, 2010 : Fifty-eight year old Reid Stowe returned to land after claiming to spend the longest time at sea without touching land. His record breaking trip lasted 1,152 days and began in April 2007 . He originally set out with his girlfriend, but she had to leave after suspecting that she was pregnant. Stowe was greeted by her and his nearly two year old child who had never seen. To pass the time on his journey he practiced yoga and painted, in addition to keeping up with the sailboat. Japan 2012 Japan IBM Supercomputer Becomes Fastest 18th June, 2012 : The US's IBM Sequoia supercomputer overtook Fujitsu's K Computer in Japan to become the fastest in the world.

The development marks the first time in two years that the United States held the position. Hungary 2013 Hungary Hungary Charges Nazi Jun. 18th, 2013 : Prosecutors in Hungary have charged ninety-eight year old Laszlo Csatary for Nazi war crimes. Csatary was accused of assisting in the murder of Jews while serving as a Nazi police officer in Kosice. Csatary denied the charges saying that he only acted as an intermediary between German and Hungarian forces. Born This Day In History June 18th Celebrating Birthday's Today Sally Ride - the First American Woman in Space Sally Ride Sally Ride The First American Woman in Space A picture of astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. (Photo courtesy of NASA) By Janet Ogle-Mater, Contributing Writer Updated February 04, 2016. Who Was Sally Ride? Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18, 1983 on board space shuttle Challenger.

A pioneer of the final frontier, she charted a new course for Americans to follow, not only into the country’s space program, but by inspiring young people, especially girls, to careers in science, math, and engineering. Dates: May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012 Also Known As: Sally Kristen Ride; Dr. Sally K. Ride Growing Up Sally Ride was born in a suburb of Los Angeles in Encino, California, on May 26, 1951. She was the first child of parents, Carol Joyce Ride (a counselor at the county jail) and Dale Burdell Ride (a political science professor at Santa Monica College). A younger sister, Karen, would add to the Ride family a few years later. Her parents soon recognized, and encouraged, their first daughter’s early athletic prowess. Sally Ride was a sports fan at a young age, reading the sports page by the age of five. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance She played baseball and other sports in the neighborhood and was often chosen first for teams.

Throughout her childhood she was an outstanding athlete, which culminated in a tennis scholarship to a prestigious private school in Los Angeles, the Westlake School for Girls. It was there she became captain of the tennis team during her high school years and competed in the national junior tennis circuit, ranking 18th in the semi-pro league. Sports were important to Sally, but so were her academics. She was a good student with a fondness for science and math. Her parents recognized this early interest as well and supplied their young daughter with a chemistry set and telescope. Sally Ride excelled at school and graduated from Westlake School for Girls in 1968. She then enrolled at Stanford University and graduated in 1973 with bachelor degrees in both English and Physics. Becoming an Astronaut In 1977, while Sally Ride was a physics doctoral student at Stanford, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a national search for new astronauts and for the first time allowed women to apply, so she did. A year later, Sally Ride was selected, along with five other women and 29 men, as a candidate for NASA’s astronaut program . She received her Ph.D.

in astrophysics that same year, 1978, and began training and evaluation courses for NASA. By the summer of 1979, Sally Ride had completed her astronaut training , which included parachute jumping , water survival, radio communications, and flying jets. She also received a pilot’s license and then became eligible for an assignment as a Mission Specialist in the U.S. Space Shuttle program. During the next four years, Sally Ride would prepare for her first assignment on mission STS-7 (Space Transport System) aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Along with hours of in-classroom instruction learning every aspect of the shuttle, Sally Ride also logged numerous hours in the shuttle simulator. She helped develop the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) , a robotic arm, and became proficient at its use. Ride was the communications officer relaying messages from mission control to the space shuttle crew of the Columbia for the second mission, STS-2, in 1981, and again for the STS-3 mission in 1982. Also in 1982, she married fellow astronaut Steve Hawley .

Sally Ride in Space Sally Ride launched into American history books on June 18, 1983, as the first American women into space when the space shuttle Challenger rocketed into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board STS-7 were four other astronauts: Captain Robert L. Crippen, the spacecraft commander; Captain Frederick H. Hauck, the pilot; and two other Mission Specialists, Colonel John M. Fabian and Dr. Norman E. Thagard. Sally Ride was in charge of launching and retrieving satellites with the RMS robotic arm, the first time it was used in such an operation on a mission. The five-person crew conducted other maneuvers and completed a number of scientific experiments during their 147 hours in space before landing at Edwards Air Force Base on June 24, 1983, in California. Sixteen months later, on October 5, 1984, Sally Ride rode into space again on the Challenger. Mission STS-41G was the 13th time a shuttle had flown into space and was the first flight with a crew of seven. It also held other firsts for women astronauts. Kathryn (Kate) D.

Sullivan was part of the crew, placing two American women in space for the first time. Additionally, Kate Sullivan became the first woman to conduct a spacewalk, spending over three hours outside the Challenger conducting a satellite refueling demonstration. As before, this mission included the launch of satellites along with scientific experiments and observations of Earth. The second launch for Sally Ride ended on October 13, 1984, in Florida after 197 hours in space. Sally Ride came home to fanfare from both the press and the public. However, she quickly turned her focus to her training. While she was anticipating a third assignment as a member of the crew of STS-61M, tragedy struck the space program. Disaster in Space On January 28, 1986, a seven-person crew, including the first civilian headed to space, teacher Christa McAuliffe , took their seats inside the Challenger. Seconds after lift-off, with thousands of Americans watching, the Challenger exploded into fragments in the air. All seven on board were killed, four of whom were from Sally Ride’s 1977 training class.

This public disaster was a great blow to NASA’s space shuttle program , resulting in grounding of all space shuttles for three years. When President Ronald Reagan called for a federal investigation into the cause of the tragedy, Sally Ride was selected as one of 13 commissioners to take part in the Rogers Commission. Their investigation found the main cause of the explosion was due to the destruction of the seals in the right rocket motor, which allowed hot gases to leak through the joints and weaken the external tank. While the shuttle program was grounded, Sally Ride turned her interest toward NASA’s planning of future missions. She moved to Washington D.C. to NASA headquarters to work in the new Office of Exploration and Office of Strategic Planning as a Special Assistant to the Administrator. Her task was to assist NASA in the development of long-term goals for the space program. Ride became the first Director of the Office of Exploration. Then, in 1987, Sally Ride produced “Leadership and America’s Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator,” commonly known as the Ride Report, detailing suggested future focuses for NASA. Among them were Mars exploration and an outpost on the Moon. That same year, Sally Ride retired from NASA. She also divorced in 1987.

Returning to Academia After leaving NASA, Sally Ride set her sights on a career as a college professor of physics. She returned to Stanford University to complete a postdoc at the Center for International Security and Arms Control. While the Cold War was waning, she studied the banning of nuclear weapons . With her postdoc complete in 1989, Sally Ride accepted a professorship at University of California at San Diego (UCSD) where she not only taught but also researched bow shocks, the shock wave resulting from stellar wind colliding with another medium. She also became the Director of the University of California’s California Space Institute. She was researching and teaching physics at UCSD when another shuttle disaster brought her temporarily back to NASA. Second Space Tragedy When the space shuttle Columbia launched on January 16, 2003, a piece of foam broke off and struck the shuttle’s wing. It wasn’t until the spacecraft’s descent to Earth more than two weeks later on February 1st that trouble caused from the lift-off damage would be known. The shuttle Columbia broke up with its re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard the shuttle.

Sally Ride was asked by NASA to join the panel of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to look into the cause of this second shuttle tragedy. She was the only person to serve on both space shuttle accident investigation commissions. Science and Youth While at UCSD, Sally Ride noted that very few women were taking her physic classes. Wanting to establish a long-term interest and love of science in young children, especially girls, she collaborated with NASA in 1995 on KidSat. The program gave students in American classrooms the opportunity to control a camera on the space shuttle by requesting specific photographs of Earth. Sally Ride obtained the special targets from students and pre-programmed the necessary information and then sent it to NASA for inclusion on the shuttle’s computers, after which the camera would take the designated image and send it back to the classroom for study. After successful runs on space shuttle missions in 1996 and 1997, the name was changed to EarthKAM. A year later the program was installed on the International Space Station where on a typical mission, more than 100 schools participate and 1500 photographs are taken of the Earth and its atmospheric conditions.

With EarthKAM’s success, Sally Ride was bolstered to find other avenues to bring science to youth and the public. As the Internet was growing in everyday use in 1999, she became president of an online company called Space.com, which highlights scientific news for those interested in space. After 15 months with the company, Sally Ride set her sights on a project to specifically encourage girls to seek out careers in science. She put her professorship at UCSD on hold and founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to develop young girls’ curiosity and encourage their life-long interest in science, engineering, technology, and math. Through space camps, science festivals, books on exciting scientific careers, and innovative classroom materials for teachers, Sally Ride Science continues to inspire young girls, as well as boys, to pursue careers in the field. In addition, Sally Ride co-authored seven books on science education for children. From 2009 to 2012, Sally Ride Science along with NASA initiated another program for the science education for middle school students, GRAIL MoonKAM. Students from around the world select areas on the moon to be photographed by satellites and then the images can be used in the classroom to study the lunar surface.

Legacy of Honors and Awards Sally Ride garnered a number of honors and awards throughout her outstanding career. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame (1988), the Astronaut Hall of Fame (2003), the California Hall of Fame (2006), and the Aviation Hall of Fame (2007). Twice she received the NASA Space Flight Award. She was also the recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service, Lindberg Eagle, the von Braun Award, NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award, and the National Space Grant Distinguished Service Award. Sally Ride Dies Sally Ride died on July 23, 2012, at the age of 61 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. It was only after her death that Ride disclosed to the world that she was a lesbian; in an obituary that she co-wrote, Ride revealed her 27-year relationship with partner Tam O’Shaughnessy. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, left a legacy of science and space exploration for Americans to honor. She also inspired young people, especially girls, across the world to reach for the stars.

Sally Ride - Astronaut, Physicist, Educator - Biography.com Sally Ride In 1983, astronaut and astrophysicist Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Ride died on July 23, 2012 at the age of 61, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. IN THESE GROUPS Famous People Born in Encino Sally Ride - Mini Biography (TV-14; 3:01) Sally Ride studied at Stanford University before beating out 1000 other applicants for a spot in NASA's astronaut program. Ride joined the Challenger shuttle mission on June 18, 1983, and became the first American woman in space. Synopsis Dr. Sally Ride studied at Stanford University before beating out 1,000 other applicants for a spot in NASA's astronaut program. After rigorous training, Ride joined the Challenger shuttle mission on June 18, 1983, and became the first American woman in space.

Early Life and Education Born on May 26, 1951, Sally Ride grew up in Los Angeles and went to Stanford University, where she was a double major in physics and English. Ride received bachelor's degrees in both subjects in 1973. She continued to study physics at the university, earning a master's degree in 1975 and a Ph.D. in 1978. NASA That same year, Ride beat out 1,000 other applicants for a spot in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) astronaut program. She went through the program’s rigorous training program and got her chance to go into space and the record books in 1983. On June 18, Ride became the first American woman in space, aboard the space shuttle Challenger. As a mission specialist, she helped deploy satellites and worked other projects. She returned to Earth on June 24. The next year, Ride again served as a mission specialist on a space shuttle flight in October. She was scheduled to take a third trip, but it was canceled after the tragic Challenger accident on January 28, 1986.

After the accident, Ride served on the presidential commission that investigated the space shuttle explosion. Later Years After NASA, Ride became the director of the California Space Institute at the University of California, San Diego, as well as a professor of physics at the school in 1989. In 2001, she started her own company to create educational programs and products known as Sally Ride Science to help inspire girls and young women to pursue their interests in science and math. Ride served as president and CEO. Sally Ride - America’s First Woman in Space (TV-14; 7:09) Veteran ABC News and 20/20 reporter Lynn Sherr, author of “Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space,” shares five incredible facts about the pioneering astronaut. (Video Courtesy of Simon & Schuster) Death and Legacy For her contributions to the field of science and space exploration, Ride received many honors, including the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt Award. She was also inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

On July 23, 2012, Sally Ride died at the age of 61, following a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She will always be remembered as a pioneering astronaut who went where no other American woman had gone before. Videos Sally Ride Remembered by Female Space Shuttle Commanders Sally Ride's Legacy: 1st Female Space Shuttle Commanders Speak Out By Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor | July 24, 2012 10:50am ET MORE Seen on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983. Credit: NASA This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. EDT. The news of Sally Ride's death yesterday (July 23) has impacted many around the globe, most especially those who traveled directly in her footsteps. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. Since then, dozens of U.S. females have made spaceflights.

Two of them, Eileen Collins and Pamela Melroy, achieved another historic milestone, becoming the only women to command a space shuttle mission. "I knew I wanted to be an astronaut from watching the Apollo astronauts land on the moon, but Sally cemented the belief inside me that I could do it," Melroy wrote in an email to SPACE.com. "She paved the way for women to work in space and made it so much easier for other women to follow where she led." Collins became the first female space shuttle commander when she led the STS-93 flight of the shuttle Columbia in July 1999, just 16 years after Ride's first flight. Melroy then commanded the space shuttle Discovery in 2007, becoming the last woman to command a shuttle before the fleet retired in 2011. [ Sally Ride: 1st American Woman in Space (Pictures) ] "I am surprised and saddened by the news of Sally Ride’s passing ," Collins wrote in an email yesterday. "She was such a wonderful role model and source of inspiration to me. People around the world still recognize her name as the first American woman in space, and she took that title seriously even after departing NASA.

She mentored me several times during my astronaut career, leaving me with many cherished memories." NASA's two female shuttle commanders: Eileen Collins, at left, and Pamela Melroy, at right. Credit: NASA Collins, who retired from NASA in 2006, said Ride inspired by example. "She never sought media attention for herself, but rather focused on doing her normally outstanding job," Collins said. "Her 'Sally Ride Science' programs have reached thousands of middle school girls, giving them the confidence to stay focused on math and science, even when the mass media message was otherwise. She also played a notable role in both the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations. Sally left us too soon. God Speed Sally, you will be greatly missed." Collins and Melroy are not the only women to have commanded space missions. NASA's current chief astronaut is veteran spaceflyer Peggy Whitson, who commanded the International Space Station's Expedition 16 mission in 2007 and 2008. The space station's second female commander, Sunita Williams, is on the orbiting laboratory now and will take command later this year.

"The selection of the 1978 Astronaut Class that included Sally and several other women, had a huge impact on my dream to become an astronaut. The success of those woman, with Sally paving the way, made my dream seem one step closer to becoming a reality," Whitson said in a statement. Ride, a physicist, took her status as role model seriously, and harnessed it to reach out to students through Sally Ride Science, the company she founded in 2001. The organization worked to inspire boys and girls in the subjects of science, math and technology through outreach in classrooms and teacher training. "I met Sally for the first time on her speaking tour after her first flight, shortly after I had graduated from Wellesley College," said Melroy, who retired from NASA in 2009 and now works at the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. "She was fascinating, smart, humble, very nice - and completely inspirational." Sally Ride died at age 61 in San Diego, Calif., of pancreatic cancer . Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom . We're also on Facebook & Google+ .

Editor's Recommendations Sally Ride - America's First Woman in Space - Remembered | NASA Sally Ride - America's First Woman in Space - Remembered July 24, 2012 Sally Ride (third from left) and her fellow STS-7 astronauts were joined by other NASA and Air Force officials for photos after greeting NASA Dryden employees and visitors following her historic space shuttle mission on the shuttle Challenger on June 24, 1983. (NASA photo) › View Larger Image Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died July 23 at the age of 61. Her website, Sally Ride Science, indicated her death was the result of pancreatic cancer. Sally Ride's official NASA portrait when she was selected to become an astronaut in 1978. (NASA photo) › View Larger Image Ride became the first American woman to fly in space when the space shuttle Challenger launched on mission STS-7 June 18, 1983. Two years later, she flew again on the Challenger for the 13th shuttle flight, STS-41-G in October 1984.

Her first shuttle mission landed at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California on June 24, 1983. Ride, along with her fellow STS-7 astronauts, received accolades from assembled news media personnel, Dryden and Air Force employees and members of the public at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during and after the post-flight news conference. Ride left NASA in 1989 to teach physics at Stanford University and then at the University of California, San Diego. She founded Sally Ride Science in 2001, which creates classroom materials and training for teachers in science, technology, engineering and math. Her website, Sally Ride Science , posted the following tribute after her passing: Sally Ride died peacefully on July 23rd, 2012 after a courageous 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, joy, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless. Sally was a physicist, the first American woman to fly in space, a science writer, and the president and CEO of Sally Ride Science.

She had the rare ability to understand the essence of things and to inspire those around her to join her pursuits. Sally's historic flight into space captured the nation's imagination and made her a household name. She became a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers and a hero to generations of adventurous young girls. After retiring from NASA, Sally used her high profile to champion a cause she believed in passionately-inspiring young people, especially girls, to stick with their interest in science, to become scientifically literate, and to consider pursuing careers in science and engineering. Sally Ride joined her fellow STS-7 crewmembers for their official mission portrait in March 1983, three months prior to launch. Beside Ride at left are STS-7 commander Robert L. Crippen and pilot Frederick H. Hauch. Standing behind are mission specialists John M. Fabian and Norman E. Thagard. (NASA photo) › View Larger Image NASA Administrator and former space shuttle astronaut Charlie Bolden offered his personal remembrances of Ride. "Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program," said Bolden. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly." "Sally was a personal and professional role model to me and thousands of women around the world," added NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. "Her spirit and determination will continue to be an inspiration for women everywhere." Ride recalled her history-making space flight in an interview on the 25th anniversary of her flight in 2008. "The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it," Ride related. "That was made pretty clear the day that I was told I was selected as a crew. I was taken up to Chris Kraft's office. He wanted to have a chat with me and make sure I knew what I was getting into before I went on the crew. I was so dazzled to be on the crew and go into space I remembered very little of what he said." "On launch day, there was so much excitement and so much happening around us in crew quarters, even on the way to the launch pad," Ride said.

"I didn't really think about it that much at the time - but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected to be the first to get a chance to go into space." Former NASA astronaut Steve Hawley, who was married to Ride for five years from 1982 through 1987, remembered her as one who was forced to balance two very opposite roles. "Sally was a very private person who found herself a very public persona. It was a role in which she was never fully comfortable. I was privileged to be a part of her life and be in a position to support her as she became the first American woman to fly in space. "While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential," Hawley continued. "Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard. I think she would be pleased with that legacy." Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy as well as her mother, sister, niece and nephew. For more on Sally Ride's life and career, visit:

Question: Who became the first American woman in space on June 18th 1983?
Answer: SALLY RIDE